“I love everything about this room, but I especially love the wallpaper,” says H&H assistant design editor Kai Ethier. “I like that it isn’t a ‘kiddie’ paper. A child could easily grow with this pattern. I just wallpapered my daughter’s room and it really makes the room special.”

“I had smaller area rugs and they were a bad investment,” says H&H senior design editor Sally Armstrong. “They were constantly bunching up, it drove me nuts. It’s better to do wall-to-wall carpet or a pick a really generous sized rug.” The bedroom (shown) of Ali Yaphe’s son Charlie has a sophisticated neutral palette that will grow with him, and a rug is more comfortable to play on than a bare floor.

This is one battle parents may be willing to lose. Even though the bedding in the home of Katherine Yaphe’s daughter, Sophie, is lovely, sometimes kids push for a more unconventional option. “Everything changes so quickly,” notes H&H senior design editor Sarah Hartill. “If my kids want Spiderman pillowcases, I let them have them rather than indulging in a whole theme room. Bedding will still match with my stuff, and sooner or later they will be onto something else.”

Even young children need a spot to draw and craft. H&H senior design editor Sarah Hartill made sure the bedroom of three-year-old Joaquin, son of La Merceria owner Sandra Rojas-Chinni, had a small table and vintage-style chairs.

“I struggle with tech,” admits H&H senior style editor Morgan Michener, whose children are older. “Make rules: the computer and phone have to stay on the desk or they end up falling off the bed.”

H&H style editor Stacey Smithers put a map up in her son’s room because it adapts as the child grows. “In the beginning, it’s all about the colour, but as kids mature and start reading, they can really learn a lot about the world through maps,” she explains. For a pop of pattern, large-scale maps can be an affordable alternative to wallpaper.